PRESS DIGEST - China - April 8

SHANGHAI, April 8 (Reuters) - Chinese newspapers available in Beijing and Shanghai carried the following stories on Wednesday. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CHINA DAILY

- China will open up more airspace to unblock its congested airways and aims to handle more than 10 million flights by 2017, according to Wang Zhiqing, the deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration.

- The new head of China's state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) Nie Chenxi will be the first non-journalist to lead the organization since 1991, according to the state run newspaper. Nie majored in computer programming.

CHINA BUSINESS NEWS

- China's economic data for the first quarter is expected to be lower than a year earlier, sparking expectations Beijing could announce further easing. Analysts expect GDP could hover around 7 percent or slightly below.

SHANGHAI SECURITIES NEWS

- China's insurance regulator will restrict connected transactions for insurance companies, according to a circular on Tuesday. The cap will be 30 percent of the firm's total assets at the end of the previous quarter.

CHINA SECURITIES JOURNAL

- Hong Kong shares are expected to rise further in the near term due to policy support and low valuations, the newspaper said in an commentary.

SHANGHAI DAILY

- Queues, unnecessary tests and expensive prescription medicines are the top healthcare concerns for residents in China's business capital Shanghai, according to a study by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

For Hong Kong and South China newspapers see..... (Reporting by Chen Yixin and Adam Jourdan; Editing by Michael Perry)